I have been careful when mentioning my ADHD here for the simple reason that I am neither diagnosed nor am I pursuing an official diagnosis. My understanding is that the process is lengthy and expensive and my priorities have been aimed at improving my understanding of this so-called attention “deficit” disorder. To that end, I have been reading up on the subject, seeing a therapist, and discussing medication with my doctor.
There is no such thing as a magic bullet (or pill), however. The singlemost difficult challenge I have faced is retraining my thinking to accept that I am not flawed, nor lazy, nor failing to live up to missed potential. I was identified as a gifted student from a very young age, which marked me out as different. The smart kid. Destined for university, an amazing degree, and a prestigious and successful career.
I dropped out of university in my early twenties. I floated from job to job until my CV was filled with workplaces I stayed at less than a year, and I didn’t find my way to massage school until my mid-30s. All the while, the gifted kid memes started cutting way too deep, getting into my social media algorithm and leading me to seek out articles and books on ADHD. I began connecting my strengths and weaknesses of the present to familiar patterns of the past, ultimately realizing that this has always been how my brain works.
I ended up becoming a massage therapist after discovering how much massage helps me, and being interested in the idea for several years. The last few years have had me curious about becoming a talk-based therapist as well, and shortly after signing up for Équilibre Formation’s meditation coaching course, I got an email about an ADHD coaching program. I’m partway through and it is helping me reorganize ideas I’ve previously encountered while providing new thoughts and questions, and I’m excited to start building a new practice around it.
If you have (or suspect you may have) ADHD, massage can be beneficial as a means to reinforce your connection to your body. My brain whirls around pretty fast and I basically I forget I have a body when I am caught up in my thoughts; this leads me to hold myself in positions and postures that don’t do my muscles any favours. When I am distracted, I also don’t notice signs of discomfort or dysfunction before they become painful or limiting, by which point the remedy will take more time. I fall out of my routine of stretching on a regular basis because it becomes a Dreaded Task in my mind instead of remembered for the benefits it brings and how great it feels to do.
To add benefit to your massage, I can talk you through an opening sequence as part of a meditation that will facilitate checking in with your body. Afterwards, you can feel free to focus on the change in your tissues as I work, or to drift away and let your thoughts wander where they will, or doze off. I believe we can all benefit from slowing down in these hectic times, and massage lets you pause and exist with yourself for the duration of your session (and I hope you carry that feeling with you for a while).
A Sunday evening meditation
I am aiming to offer my first meditation later this month! I would like to try out something I’m calling Sunday Scaries: an evening meditation between supper and bedtime on Sunday to ease you into the coming week. It will be scheduled for 30 minutes and take place virtually, so it’s a good opportunity to get cozy and take a seat, lie down, or go for a walk as I talk you through a body scan and other meditations with the goal of calming your mind and preparing you to start your next week on the right foot.
